Donated Fence Lands Disabled Woman In Hot Water With Neighbor

AUBURN (CBS13) – A disabled Auburn woman is facing a lawsuit filed by her neighbors and it’s all over a fence.

“I wondered why now, after I have this fence, are you hitting me with a lawsuit?” asked Sonia Young.

Born with minimal use of her legs, and only two fingers, Young relies on her service dog Babsey. For two years, Babsey has been by Young’s side.

“To me she’s priceless,” Young said. “When I’m out and about, I feel comfortable because I have her with me.”

Last year, the Auburn Rotary Club learned about the dog and decided to build a fence for her around Young’s home, to help her keep the dog in the yard.

“I was elated with joy,” Young said. “They felt that this was something they wanted to do. That this was in the scope of what they believe in doing.”

The club built the fence as a donation, but a year after it went up, the family next door filed a lawsuit, claiming the fence was built on their property. I approached Kenneth Ludwig, one of Young’s neighbors, and asked why he’s pressing charges.

He declined to comment until I asked him again why his family decided to file the lawsuit.

“She put a fence on our property,” he told me. “Take it up with our attorney.”

“Not true,” Young said.

According to Young, her surveyor says the property line extends well beyond the fence, but her neighbor’s surveyor put a yellow marker in Young’s yard, showing that the fence on Ludwig’s side of the line.

“Clearly, it is not,” she said, holding up a copy of the map of her property.

Young says the Ludwigs didn’t have a problem with the fence until the Rotary club ran short on money and finished the job with a “no-climb” wire fence instead of the iron one.

“The best-case outcome for me would be for them to just dismiss their case and let me live in peace and not bother me anymore,” Young said.

CBS13 reached out to Ludwig’s attorney, but he did not return our call.

“This is a fight for power,” Young said. “It’s because of the donation. I’m not moving my fence!”

According to the lawsuit, the Ludwigs want $25,000 to pay for their surveyor fees and removal of the fence. There’s no court date set just yet.